Manorom, Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai is the northernmost province of Thailand. This year I had several chances to make an excursion to this charming city. It is interesting to note that there have been, as far as I know, 4 cafés with similar themes being introduced in the recent years. All situated by the Kok River, they all are ensconced in the vintage style white buildings.

Courtesy of Google

Manorom (literally ‘pleasant’ in Sanskrit) looks like a colonial style veranda ornate with floral white carved woods surrounded by a serene garden. The neighbouring building is Suan Kularb (literally ‘rose garden’ in Thai), its twin Thai restaurant with almost identical architecture.

Arriving in the evening near the sunset time, I spent quite some time relishing the picturesque view of the lofty trees near the river. Don’t you agree that it looks spectacular!

Menu at Manorom mainly features western fares like steaks, salads, soups, and pastas. However, every time I visit, the staff would recommend items listed in the Asian section. I personally found that their western dishes outshine the Asian ones.

Cream of chicken soup was quite nice, though I could feel some coagulated milk curd in my mouth.Curry chicken samosa had flavourful and well-seasoned fillings.

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Beef lasagne was delicious. I also ordered spaghetti bolognese to take home which was also yummy as it’s made with similar sauce base.I found rice with stir-fried snapper with yellow chili and spring rolls to be mediocre. The crust of the fish could be crispier

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They also serve some nice homemade cakes with the coconut roll being their signature. It unique coconut filling tastes like it’s made of coconut milk thickened with rice flour and seasoned with a little salt and suger, similar to that of a Thai sweet called Takoh (ตะโก้)

Overall, Manorom is a restaurant with beautiful and pleasant ambience. I would say order western food. And make sure to arrive before sunset in order not to miss the scenic view of the lofty trees by the river.